The Anonymous Internet Returns and Other Fascinating News on the Web

Says Who?

After years of babbling into an age of oversharing and personal branding, are we finally ready to hit the brakes and return to one of the Internet’s oldest ideas? Buzzfeed’s John Herrman looks at the return of the anonymous Internet. This is a major digital behavior trend that is worth watching (but you didn’t hear that from me).

+ The startup world is a place where one’s self-worth is often measured in Likes and Retweets. But even among early adopters and Internet insiders, there seems to be a need to vent anonymously.

Reality TV

You may soon find yourself as an unwitting participant in the world’s biggest reality show. So far, there hasn’t been that much uproar about surveillance cameras being used in cities and at large public gatherings. So we’re about to see the roll-out of the next generation systems “that can track every vehicle and person across an area the size of a small city, for several hours at a time.”

+ On one of San Francisco’s most crime-ridden blocks, police have seen a dramatic drop in incidents. What happened? They banned parking.

Ruffled Feathers

“Up until last year, our growth was viral and organic. Growth was something that happened to us.” While they got a lot better at making money, Twitter’s organic growth has slowed and that challenge has investors worried.

But the Law Won…

“This is an important moment in history; we know that prohibition does not work. We know that the people who devise drug laws are out of touch and have no idea how to reach a solution. Do they even have the inclination? The fact is their methods are so gallingly ineffective that it is difficult not to deduce that they are deliberately creating the worst imaginable circumstances to maximixe the harm caused by substance misuse.” From Russell Brand: Philip Seymour Hoffman is another victim of extremely stupid drug laws

Five Ring Circus

“Much of Sochi is a work in progress, and parts of it look at least a dozen all-nighters away from completion. There are unfinished hotels, half-finished stores and a mall where the only shop that is open and thriving is a Cinnabon.” From the NYT: First Event of Sochi Olympics: The Hotel Construction Sprint.

+ Here’s Russia’s deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations trying to ease concerns about preparedness: “We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day.” The PR debacle in Sochi has gotten so bad, I wouldn’t be surprised if Putin brings in Rob Ford to handle damage control.

I Don’t Recall

“I don’t remember any of what I’m about to tell you. Sure, I know the story, but it is just a story related to me by others, in bits and pieces, over many years.” From Salon: The accident that killed me.

Going Pro

We’re seeing a growing trend of companies creating branded content. And we’re seeing a trend of people trying to make their own compelling content. At the intersection of those two trends, there’s GoPro, and they might have the best branded content around.. (Although Red Bull getting a guy to jump from space wasn’t bad.)

The Bottom of the News

“To me, America used to be a place that made steel and cars and had giant department stores. Now basically we produce amateur talent and people that judge amateur talent.” Jerry Seinfeld gets coffee with Howard Stern.